SouthernWorldwide.com – Former President Barack Obama, at the dedication ceremony for his presidential center in Chicago on Thursday, stated that America’s Founders “fell terribly short” of the ideals espoused in the Declaration of Independence.
Obama framed the nation’s narrative as a continuous effort by successive generations to achieve a “more perfect” union.
“The success of this experiment was never a given,” Obama remarked, referencing the nation’s inception shortly before the upcoming 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4th.
“In forming our union, the founders fell terribly short of the Declaration’s promise, leaving slavery intact, allowing states to restrict the franchise to white men who owned property. But in drafting a Constitution and a Bill of Rights, they did have the foresight, the genius, to provide us with a framework that allows each generation to make our union more perfect.”
The 44th president dedicated a significant portion of his address to discussing the ongoing work he believes America must undertake, echoing themes he has previously emphasized during campaign appearances and his tenure in the White House.
The Obama Presidential Center, officially opening to the public on Friday, was attended by a distinguished gathering of former diplomats, officials, and celebrities. Notable attendees included former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Oprah Winfrey, Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, Steven Spielberg, Hillary Clinton, and former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden.
“And over more than two centuries, through petitions and protests, marches and strikes, moral appeals from the pulpit and conversations at the family dinner table – men and women from all walks of life, of every color, every faith, every region took up the cause of democracy and made it their own. Until, we the people, came to include not just some of us, but all of us. And that’s why the story we tell in this building begins not with Michelle’s origins or my origins, but with our nation’s,” he elaborated.
Obama also utilized his speech to advocate for what he described as shared American values and the critical importance of finding common ground across the political spectrum.
“Every president here today, as different as we are, has tried our best to uphold the values that John McCain and Mitt Romney believed in no less than I did,” Obama stated, referencing the two Republican figures.
“It is our greatest inheritance. The story of America at its best, because it reflects a basic faith in the decency of our fellow citizens and the possibility that, despite all of our differences, we can see each other and understand one another and make common cause together. That’s what I hope every visitor to this center takes away from their experience,” he concluded.
The presidential museum features a replica of the Oval Office, alongside artifacts from America’s founding and Civil War eras.
Among the historical artifacts displayed in the museum are a print of the Declaration of Independence, a pen and ink stand formerly used by Frederick Douglass, Lincoln’s Bible, and a pamphlet authored by journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells.
The center’s opening on Friday follows a decade of planning and construction, during which it faced scrutiny regarding escalating costs, construction delays, and public infrastructure spending.
Taxpayers contributed hundreds of millions of dollars towards public infrastructure improvements for Obama’s museum, which included the construction of roads, transit systems, and utility updates surrounding the campus.
The total construction costs were reported to be $830 million in 2021 and are estimated to have surpassed the $1 billion mark.
